Biz Blog

Is it OK to fire an employee considered too sexy? In a recent case decided by the Iowa Supreme Court, the judges held that such an action is acceptable under the law. But don’t start jumping to conclusions about potential ...

In our business culture, working long and hard is often perceived as a sign of one’s drive for success. It’s described in business magazine profiles, overheard in airplane conversations and glorified in movies, including “The Man in the Gray Flannel ...

March 25, 2013Comments Off on An agricultural policy issue that matters to Idaho banks

The Idaho Supreme Court will soon consider a case involving an issue that may have significant consequences for the agricultural industry. The purpose of this article is to consider the public policy implications that are at the heart of the ...

March 22, 2013Comments Off on Getting to the heart of long-term investment returns

John Bogle, the founder and former CEO of Vanguard, uses just three charts to illuminate 100 years of market history and demonstrate some fundamental truths about investment returns. He manages to separate what matters from what doesn’t in the long ...

March 21, 2013Comments Off on Social media ‘score cards’ are improving

One of the great things about Idaho, in general, and Boise, in particular, is how easy it is to find someone who is connected to someone you’d like to know. This makes networking relatively easy, compared to what it’s like ...

March 20, 2013Comments Off on Complying with health care reform: hidden perils of the shared responsibility penalty

Two new shared responsibility taxes will begin to apply to all large Idaho employers on Jan. 1, 2014, pursuant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (health care reform). One of these taxes applies to large Idaho employers who ...

Economic growth doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Support in the critical areas of health, education and financial independence serves as a springboard to success, not only for individuals, but throughout our valley’s economic landscape as well. Businesses are uniting with ...

For months, I’ve studied the debate on whether there’s a shortage of software developers in Idaho. I’ve decided there is a gap, but there’s also a broader issue of concern. I’ll explain. To research the labor market, I dived into ...

I had the unpleasant experience recently of buying a new car. It should be an exciting event, given all the great vehicles and attractive terms out there. I didn’t really know what I wanted. I just knew I wasn’t going ...

I recently read an article that a friend posted on Facebook titled, Your Brain on Divorce. The article was written by divorce attorney and mediator Michelle Crosby for The Huffington Post. As I read the article, I couldn’t help but ...